What Dog Owners Should Know About Worms

• Round Worms
• Tapeworms

The majority of responsible dog owners are aware that dogs get worms and will administer preventative treatment when reminded, but do they give worms a second thought or even want to? 

It may not be a subject for the dinner table but it is a good idea to have a basic knowledge about the type of worms to which the dog is at risk in the UK.  For example, how many people realise that a worming treatment against the common tape worm, Dipylidium caninum, may be ineffective if the dog has not been treated against fleas?

Worming treatment for dogs is compulsory on returning to the UK at present but the regulations might change in 2010 and, if this is the case, owners should be aware  the dangers of not treating their pets against worms when travelling to and from the UK.

A parasitic worm lives within its host (in this case, the dog) and gains an advantage at the dog’s expense.  How much a dog will suffer depends on the type of worm and the severity of the infestation. An infection can range from being mildly annoying to being fatal. 

Worms are divided into two categories, round worms and tapeworms.  Not all species of parasitic worms affecting dogs are included but we have chosen the ones that are the most common or significant.